1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical suturing devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to suturing devices for closing an opening in an arterial or other biological tissue wall that is not directly accessible to the physician.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Physicians frequently use sutures to close cuts, punctures, incisions and other openings in various biological tissue, such as blood vessels, of the human body.
In an arterial catheterization procedure, a relatively small percutaneous incision is made in the femoral or other artery. A catheter is inserted through the incision and directed along an arterial path to a target area, such as the heart, to perform one or more procedures, such as an angioplasty or angiogram. These procedures are designed to be relatively quick xe2x80x98outpatientxe2x80x99 procedures.
Upon completion of the catheterization procedure, the physician typically creates a xe2x80x98thrombus patchxe2x80x99 by applying direct pressure to the patient""s thigh to make the blood around the incision clot. Because the femoral artery must not be completely blocked (occluded) by the applied pressure, the physician commonly applies direct pressure by hand for the first twenty minutes after the procedure. During this time, the physician can feel the pulse to assure the artery is not occluded. Afterwards, the physician usually turns the procedure over to an assistant who applies direct pressure using sandbags, clamps or other devices. A significant problem with this approach is that it is frequently necessary to apply the pressure for an extended period of time, such as twenty-four hours or longer.
Another problem with the thrombus patch method is that the high blood pressure in the artery can cause the thrombus patch to rupture or burst while direct pressure is being applied to the thigh or after direct pressure is removed. This requires the whole process to be restarted. If the patch ruptures and is not restored, the patient may bleed to death. Because thrombus patches frequently burst, the patient frequently must remain in the hospital or catheterization lab overnight for observation. Thus, these xe2x80x98out-patientxe2x80x99 procedures become xe2x80x98in-patientxe2x80x99 procedures, simply because a thrombus patch it is difficult to create. Staying in the hospital increases patient discomfort and hospital expenses, which are often disproportionate to the actual medical procedure performed.
Furthermore, if a thrombus patch cannot be formed, the physician may need to anesthetize the patient, occlude blood flow to the artery, make a large incision in the thigh to allow conventional suturing with a needle, suture the artery with conventional means, restore blood flow to the artery, and suture the incision in the thigh. This results in additional discomfort and expenses for the patient.
While the above problems could potentially be avoided by suturing the blood vessel immediately following the catherization procedure, the size and location of the artery make suturing difficult. Specifically, the opening in the thigh is typically too small and too deep to provide enough working space for suturing the artery using conventional methods. Thus, in order to suture the vessel according to conventional methods, the opening in the thigh would have to be significantly enlarged, potentially exposing the patient to additional pain, scarring, and health risks.
The present invention addresses the above problems by providing a suturing device and method for suturing an opening in a biological tissue wall, such as an organ or blood vessel. The device is particularly well suited to suture an opening made in an artery, such as the femoral artery, following a catheterization procedure. The device eliminates the need to apply pressure to a patient""s thigh for an extended period of time, and eliminates many of the complications and costs associated with the creation of a thrombus patch.
In a preferred embodiment, the device comprises an elongated tubular body having a distal portion which is adapted to be inserted percutaneously through the incision and into the blood vessel. The distal portion has first and second retractable arms which extend from the distal portion of the body and releasably hold a suture within the blood vessel. First and second retractable needles, each of which is configured to catch the suture from a respective arm, are provided along the body proximal to the retractable arms. The arms and the needles are remotely movable by the physician using a handle or other control mechanism provided at a distal portion of the device.
In operation, the arms are initially deployed within the blood vessel to hold the ends of the suture beyond the circumference of the tubular body. The needles are then deployed from and then retracted into the body, during which time the needles pierce the vessel wall on opposite sides of the incision, release and capture the suture ends from the retractable arms, and pull the ends of the suture through the vessel wall. The arms are then moved to their retracted position, and the device is withdrawn from the blood vessel and the patient""s body with the ends of the suture. A knot or suture clip may then be advanced to the incision site to close the incision.
In one embodiment, the arms retract into and extend out from an opening in a distal end of the tubular body. In this embodiment, the elongated body comprises a suture catch assembly which is slidably deployable along an inner tubular member. In operation the inner tubular member is initially introduced into the blood vessel through a standard catheter sheath introducer (CSI), and the CSI is then removed. The suture catch assembly is then slidably advanced distally along the inner tubular member to the blood vessel, and the needles are deployed to pierce the vessel and capture the suture.
In another embodiment, the arms retract into and extend out from respective openings on sides of the tubular body, and the needles extend distally and outwardly from the elongated body (preferably by flexing outward during deployment) to capture the suture. In this embodiment, the arms and the suture catch assembly are introduced through the CSI as a unit, and the CSI may be left in the inserted position during the suturing procedure.